# Christmas tree bill

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/christmas-tree-bill
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A bill consisting of many riders that attracts many, often unrelated, floor amendments, which may provide special benefits to various groups or interests.

## Examples

- The senator added many small projects to the Christmas tree bill.
- Because the budget proposal became a Christmas tree bill, it included funding for dozens of unrelated local projects to gain enough votes.
- Legislators often load a Christmas tree bill with diverse amendments to ensure broad support, even if the resulting legislation lacks a cohesive purpose.

## Origin

From Christmas tree and bill, a compound of the holiday name and the legislative term.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.